DENVER (AP) - Colorado Avalanche coach Patrick Roy says he doesn’t expect leading scorer Matt Duchene to play in the first-round playoff series against Minnesota.
Duchene has been out since damaging the MCL in his left knee when he ran into a teammate against San Jose on March 29.
Roy said before Game 2 on Saturday that he would be “very, very surprised” if Duchene returns against the Wild, especially since Duchene hasn’t even started skating.
The team originally announced Duchene would be out roughly four weeks, which would have put him potentially back for Game 5. But Roy quelled that by saying, “I don’t think we’ll see him.”
The 23-year-old Duchene led the team with a career-high 70 points this season.
Roy said forward John Mitchell (head) is “not ready to play.”
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